A state of emergency has been declared across Fiji and two
cordons of troops have been deployed around Suva to stop people
from coming into the capital to protest against the coup.

The coup leader, military chief Frank Bainimarama, also said he
was considering imposing a national curfew and had marched 3000
extra reserve troops into Suva to maintain order.

His latest declaration was matched by the arrest of many of the
country's top bureaucrats and its two top police officers, who were
rounded up this morning and are being detained at the military's
main headquarters, the Queen Elizabeth barracks.

More arrests are feared after some of the country's top judges
issued a statement saying they remained committed to upholding the
constitution and "would do the right thing to all manner of people
in accordance with the law".

Soldiers detain Fiji police chief

Fiji's acting police commissioner has been detained by soldiers who
surrounded the headquarters of the police tactical response group
in Suva, local radio reported.

He came out after the soldiers threatened to storm the
building.

Acting Police Commissioner Moses Driver was taken with his deputy
to the Queen Elizabeth barracks, the report said.

The move by troops follows yesterday's military coup.

Mr Driver yesterday vowed police would not support the military
following its unlawful overthrow of the Government.

"The military has now indulged in a very serious criminal act, and
... we are not going to support the military in this regard,
because it is unlawful," he said.

The police force has previously said it cannot hope to challenge
the military's might and Mr Driver said police opposition would be
limited to refusing to take the military's orders.

Troops this morning surrounded the headquarters of the police
Tactical Response Division on the outskirts of Suva, where Mr
Driver was meeting senior police officers.

The Tactical Response Division - which had been the only armed
unit within the police - was stripped of its weapons by the
military in the first phase of the coup on Monday.

It had been set up by Fiji's Australian Police Commissioner
Andrew Hughes, who fled Fiji last week after he and his family
received death threats.

Mr Hughes, who is now in Australia, predicted there would be a
popular uprising against the coup.

Troops dissolve Fiji Parliament

Armed soldiers marched into Fiji's Parliament today and ordered
the Senate to be dissolved as MPs were about to pass a motion
declaring the country's coup illegal.

A parliamentary official said soldiers passed a note onto the
president of the Senate in mid-debate at 12.25pm (11.25pm AEDT)
demanding that proceedings shut down immediately.

An MP who was speaking in the chamber was interrupted in
mid-sentence and he and other members, as well as foreign reporters
were ordered out of the chamber.

Ousted PM's officials rounded up

Fiji's deposed Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase was flown out of
Suva today by military helicopter to his home island in the
isolated Lau group.

With Mr Qarase removed from the centre of the coup, soldiers
began rounding up top officials in the overthrown
administration.

The military also seemed intent on forcing a still defiant
police force to co-operate.

This morning Mr Qarase's chief executive officer, Jioji
Kotabalavu, was taken to military headquarters.

Mr Kotabalavu had long been at loggerheads with Commodore
Bainimarama in the months leading up to yesterday's coup.

"That's also a bit worrying," Labour Minister, Krishna Datt told
ABC Radio. "Civil servants are civil servants - they do their work.
It would have been better to have left him to carry on with his
work rather than take him to the barracks for whatever purpose.

"That kind of thing is worrying because when you begin to take all
this kind of action, which I really believe is uncalled for, you
are really harassing the civilians. It's not right, it's
unfair."

Commodore Bainimarama last week singled out Mr Kotabalavu, along
with Mr Qarase, as someone he would hold to account if any soldiers
were injured in the event of a foreign intervention to prevent the
Government's ouster.

Mr Datt said it was a concern that Mr Qarase was no longer in
Suva.

But he said he was standing by Mr Qarase and was refusing to accept
the takeover.

"I've not heard from the President that the Parliament is dissolved
or the Government is over - none of that.

"As long as I don't hear, all my allegiance is to the Government
with which I was working. For me it is business as usual."

Fiji's privately owned broadcaster, Rebel Radio, reported the
arrest of another critic of the military, the supervisor of
elections, Semosa Karavaki.

Mr Karavaki spoke out against the coup yesterday when he
said the army had "ignored the democratic process" and that
Commodore Bainimarama should be "the first to be re-educated".

Mr Qarase has also said he expected many Fijians to oppose what
has happened and said that some sections of the military would
"also come to their senses".

Despite roadblocks and armed patrols in the streets, some normal
activity went on in the capital today, including a session of the
Senate at Parliament House, where some members criticised the
takeover and invited foreign reporters to watch proceedings. It was
unclear how long this would be allowed to go on.

The military has imposed censorship on many local media
outlets.

The Murdoch-owned Fiji Times did not publish today
after refusing to be vetted by the army. State-owned Fiji TV has
also suspended its news programs.

Fiji coup sees US halt aid

The US State Department today condemned what it called a "coup
attempt" in Fiji and said it had temporarily suspended US aid to
the country.

Under law, the US Government must cut off aid to countries where
there has been a coup or a coup attempt, although this requirement
can be waived if necessary.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the US Government
would review whether the events in Fiji would require an aid
cut-off, saying: "While that review is ongoing, we have suspended
assistance."

He declined to call the overthrow a coup, saying: "At this
point, because the situation is fluid, we look at this as a coup
attempt. We don't view this as something that is irreversible and
quite clearly the Prime Minister has said that he is not resigning
in the face of this action.

"We condemn the action that General Bainimarama has taken,"
McCormack said.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan condemned the coup
and called for the immediate restoration to power of the elected
government.

The coup could have an impact on Fiji's future participation in
UN peacekeeping operations, UN chief spokesman Stephane Dujarric
said.

There was no discussion at this time, however, of removing
Fijian police and soldiers now working in various peacekeeping
assignments, Mr Dujarric added.

Fiji has been a significant contributor to UN peacekeeping over
the years although it now has just 275 police and troops in
peacekeeping missions, including the 223 soldiers protecting UN
staff in Iraq.

"The Secretary-General strongly deplores the seizure of power in
the republic of Fiji by the military leadership," Mr Dujarric
said.

Mr Annan "calls for the immediate reinstatement of the
legitimate authority in Fiji and its return to constitutional rule
through peaceful means and inclusive dialogue", Mr Dujarric told
reporters.